France will open a consulate general's office in the
northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province, in September, French
Ambassador to China Herve Ladsous said yesterday.
The move fulfills a commitment between Chinese President Hu
Jintao and former French President Jacques Chirac during the
latter's visit to China in 2006.
"Liaoning and the northeastern Chinese regions have developed
rapidly and vigorously and the opening of the consulate will help
boost cooperation between France and China," said Ladsous, who is
on a trip to Liaoning accompanied by more than 40 French business
leaders.
France has opened consulates in Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu,
Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and will become the sixth country to open
a consular office in Shenyang. The United States, Japan, North
Korea, Russia, and the Republic of Korea already have offices
there.
Ladsous also voiced yesterday his hope of opening an Alliance
Francaise - one of the world's largest networks of French language
teaching - in Shenyang.
"We're looking for partners in Shenyang. We hope to enhance
cultural cooperation with Liaoning in addition to economy and
trade," he said.
There are 11 Alliance Francaise institutes in China in cities
such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, where about 25,000 Chinese
students are studying French, according to the French
ambassador.
(China Daily July 6, 2007)
